Reading the Titan's Curse :D
by Kamryn-Marie-Pack
Summary: Yea so its the typical Gods Read story...but its also my first post so...be gentle? Plus: Percy, Nico, and Thalia are going to be present. Along with a few Gods from the future time...
1. Chapter 1

**Reading The Titan's Curse.**

**Hey. Its my first fanfiction and all that good ole stuff. **

**I see these stories all the time. I decided to try my own. I love certain pairings and hate some of the ones that are actually in the books so I will definitely be switching some stuff up. This story takes place after the Last Olympian. When they go to the past its about a year after Thalia was turned into a tree. There will be more people coming in (even some of the future gods!) but for the first few chapters its just gonna be some past campers, the past Olympians, and Percy, Thalia, and Nico. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the PJO series in any way. Because if I did it would be FULL of slash. :pp**

**CHAPTER 1:**

Percy swung Riptide and with a final howl the Hellhound started to dissolve. But something was wrong. Instead of melting into shadows as it should have, it started glowing with a blue light that engulfed Percy before he could react. . .

Thalia knocked her arrow and took aim at the practice dummy. She was finally back at camp for a much needed break from the Hunters. It was a perk of being Lieutenant of Artemis. She let out her breath and let the arrow fly. It hit the dummy right between the eyes. A blue glow flowed from its wound and Thalia screamed as she was sucked in. . .

Nico tore down the sidewalk in busy New York. Three boys ran after him, shouting curses and threats. Nico laughed and jumped a fence into Central Park, making sure to keep a hold of the fifty dollars and grocery bag he'd stolen from them. He kept running when he hit the ground. Nico glanced behind him to see where the boy were. And just his luck, he tripped.

"Fuck!" He shouted as he landed into a pool of glowing blue light. . .

All three demigods landed in a heap in a dark room with a hard marble floor. Thankfully Percy was Nico and Thalia's cushion. They all stood warily.

"How'd you get here? Some blue light sucked me in." Percy asked. Nico and Thalia answered together, "Blue light." Then a big cardboard box landed on Percy's head.

"OW!"

Thalia and Nico cracked up. Percy glared. Then Nico fell silent and pulled on Thalia's sleeve. She looked up at him, cause he was bigger than her now, for, he was seventeen, and saw him pointing to a large blue portal.

"Well, I think we should go in it." Thalia stated. She walked right in and the boys chased after her shouting, "Thalia!"

ON OLYMPUS

Zeus opened his mouth to acknowledge the demigods that had shown up with Chiron and Dionysus for winter solstice when there was a flash of bright blue light and three demigods fell from it along with a large brown box. There was a shocked silence in the throne room as the three demigods stood and looked at each other. The oldest was a tan, muscular man, with black hair and green eyes. He looked to be in his early twenties. He wore an orange Camp Half-Blood tee shirt and blue jeans with a pair of navy blue converse. The youngest was a punk girl with silvery skin. She had short, choppy black hair and electric blue eyes. She looked to be around fifteen or sixteen. The girl wore chunky black combat boots, black fishnets, a pleated army green miniskirt, and a simple black tee shirt. Her only makeup was a heavy layer of eyeliner. The other boy was taller than the punk girl but shorter than the other man. He had wavy black hair to his shoulders, pale skin, and black eyes. In both senses. The skin around his eyes was bruised dark purple and black, even looking greenish around the edges. He wore a pair of skintight shredded jeans, classic black converse high-tops, a red and black flannel button up- unbuttoned over a white tank top, and a black leather jacket. A white bandanna hung from his back pocket and a bit of a yellow grocery bag was peeking out of the pocket in his jacket.

"WHO DARES INTERRUPT ME!" Zeus bellowed, taking his lightning bolt in hand. Thalia jumped in front of Nico and Percy. "NO! Chill! We come in peace! I'm- er, well, never mind who I am." She fell silent, thinking at the last second that she probably shouldn't reveal her identity. Zeus narrowed his eyes at them, but lowered his lightning bolt nonetheless. Percy let out a huff of breath, making Nico snort. Zeus's eyes landed on the cardboard box.

"You. Bring that box here." Zeus directed the command at Nico, who grinned.

"Okie Dokie!" He said, making Thalia and Percy face-palm to hide their laughter. Nico picked up the box and skipped to Zeus's throne. All the while Percy and Thalia were trying their hardest to hold in their laughter, but giggles could still be heard. Even a few the Olympians chuckled. Nico handed the large box to Zeus and giggled, twirling a finger in his hair. Zeus frowned down at him awkwardly, like he wasn't sure of how to respond to that. Then Nico twirled around and walked back to Percy and Thalia, swinging his hips. They simply couldn't hold it in anymore and let out all their laughter. Percy and Thalia fell to the floor, tears in their eyes and Nico soon joined. The younger demigods stared awkwardly, wondering who the people were. Percy caught sight of Annabeth and smirked inwardly.

"Stop this! We need to find out what is going on!" Athena shouted angrily. Percy, Thalia, and Nico fell silent and sat on one of the large white sofas for the demigods.

"Introduce yourselves." Athena commanded. Nico jumped up.

"I'm Nico Di Angelo." Hades stiffened in his throne beside Zeus. Nico sat and Percy stood.

"Percy Jackson." Poseidon stiffened. Thalia stood as Percy sat down.

"Thalia Grace." Zeus's jaw dropped, along with several others. Hades frowned.

Zeus opened up the box and pulled out three books and a note. He read the note aloud.

_Dear Olympians and certain past demigods,_

_These books and three demigods are from the future. Others may be joining them later. Don't try to change anything, AT ALL! Everything works out in the future. And remember, we in the future will be watching all of this…ALL OF IT! So try not to do anything to embarrassing. :D_

_Love, _

_Apollo and Hermes_

Zeus sighed and sent an exasperated look to his two sons. They both smiled sheepishly. "We need to start reading! There will never be another chance like this!" Athena hollered, making Nico and Percy share a small smile. Zeus opened his mouth to say something but Athena cut him off with "But first! All of you," she pointed to the past demigods, "need to introduce yourselves." Athena waved Annbeth forward first. Annabeth bowed to Zeus.

"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena." Athena and Annabeth shared a small smile as she stepped back. Thalia, Nico, and Percy smiled to themselves.

A burly girl stepped forward. She was pretty in a tough and menacing sort of way. "Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares." She growled out. Ares smirked.

Two identical boys stepped forward. "Connor and Travis Stoll, sons of Hermes." Said god winked at his sons as they stepped back. There was one more person.

A lean, raven-haired boy stepped forward. "Castor E., Son of Dionysus." All the Olympians, bar a few, winced at that name, remembering the twins, Castor and Pollux that started one of the most famous wars in Rome. Dionysus flashed a rare smile to his son. Zeus sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot.

"Lets get this over with." He tossed the book to Athena, who caught it and opened it to the first page as all the demigods sat at the three large white couches in the center of the throne room for them. Thalia, Percy, and Nico sat together on one. On another sat Clarisse, Annabeth, and Castor. Travis and Connor sat together on the last. The couches were placed so they could all see each other. Athena cleared her throat, making Poseidon chuckle and shake his head at her, then began to read.

**The Friday before winter break, my mom packed me an overnight bag and a few deadly weapons and took me to a new boarding school. We picked up my friends Annabeth and Thalia on the way.**

"I'm your friend?" Annabeth asked. Nico laughed with Thalia. Percy blushed.

"Uh, yeah, we're sorta-kinda best friends." Percy stuttered. Nico and Thalia stopped laughing long enough to start singing,

"_He's my best friend! _

_My very best friend! _

_Do you have a best friend, too?"_


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey just wanted to let you know that I havent dropped off the face of the earth. Lol I just recently had an Avengers phase that im still in! But ive been merging back into my batman obsession :D **

**But updates will definetly be on their way.**

**Love, Kamryn 3**


	3. Chapter 3

**I've finally gotten back into my PJO obsession and that means…UPDATES! Yayyyy! **

**Yea.**

**Soooo: DISSSSCLAIMER…..**

**I don't own it….AS IF THAT WASN'T OBVIOUS…..**

Percy groaned and rubbed his face, punching Nico's shoulder. Nico pouted and rubbed his abused arm. Athena sighed, looking as if she were about to face-palm.

"Can we please continue the story?" She asked, with mock politeness.

**It was an eight-hour drive from New York to Bar Harbor, Maine. Sleet and snow pounded the highway. Annabeth, Thalia, and I hadn't seen each other in months, but between the blizzard and the thought of what we were about to do, we were too nervous to talk much. **

Thalia let out a tiny giggle, remembering Percy's mom.

**Except for my mom. She talks **_**more**_** when she's nervous. By the time we finally got to Westover Hall, it was getting dark, and she'd told Annabeth and Thalia every embarrassing baby story there was to tell about me.**

Now Thalia _really _laughed. Nico laughed too, remembering hw Thalia used to tell him those stories to cheer him up. Percy just sighed and rested his head in his hands.

**Thalia wiped the fog off the car window and peered outside. "Oh, yeah. This'll be fun."**

Nico snorted and looked down sadly, missing Bianca. Percy and Thalia immediately noticed and both gave him bear hugs, much to the confusion of the Gods. And the younger Demi-Gods.

**Westover Hall looked like an evil knight's castle. It was all black stone, with towers and slit ****windows**** and a big set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy cliff overlooking this big frosty forest on one side and the gray churning ocean on the other.**

**"Are you sure you don't want me to wait?" my mother asked.**

**"No, thanks, Mom," I said. "I don't know how long it will take. We'll be okay."**

**"But how will you get back? I'm worried, Percy."**

"She always did worry too much." Poseidon muttered, wistfully. Zeus and Hades snorted as they tried to hide their laughter. After getting glares from Percy, Thalia, and Nico they stopped quickly and looked down at their laps.

**I hoped I wasn't blushing. It was bad enough I had to depend on my mom to drive me to my battles.**

Ares laughed.

**"It's okay, Ms. Jackson." Annabeth smiled reassuringly. Her blond hair was tucked into a ski cap and her gray eyes were the same color as the ocean. **

"Coincidence?…I THINK NOT!" Nico proclaimed dramatically.

**"We'll keep him out of trouble."**

**My mom seemed to relax a little. She thinks Annabeth is the most levelheaded demigod ever to hit eighth grade. **

"She must have a _little _sense, I guess." Athena muttered under her breath.

**She's sure Annabeth often keeps me from getting killed.**

Aphrodite was squirming internally. She liked this pairing a lot….but it didn't feel…right. She knew their was something Percy wasn't telling.

**She's right, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.**

**"All right, dears," my mom said. "Do you have everything you need?"**

**"Yes, Ms. Jackson," Thalia said. "Thanks for the ride."**

**"Extra sweaters? You have my cell phone number?"**

"Aww… What a wonderful mother… And you just have to ruin it and scare her half to death don't you?" Hera glared at Percy, who looked around incredulously, wondering if Hera knew how ridiculous she sounded. Zeus sighed and avoided eye contact with Hera. She was extremely annoying to him these days.

**"Mom—"**

**"Your ambrosia and nectar, Percy? And a golden drachma in case you need to contact camp?"**

**"Mom, seriously! We'll be fine. Come on, guys."**

**She looked a little hurt, and I was sorry about that, but I was ready to be out of that car. If my mom told one more story about how cute I looked in the bathtub when I was three years old, **

Dionysus let out a reluctant laugh. He didn't want to let anyone know he was actually listening. But Nico caught his eye and gave him a subtle wink and smile. Dionysus tried not to blush at the boy's friendly gesture and looked back at the wine magazine in his lap.

**I was going to burrow into the snow and freeze myself to death.**

**Annabeth and Thalia followed me outside. The wind blew straight through my coat like ice daggers.**

**Once my mother's car was out of sight, Thalia said, "Your mom is so cool, Percy."**

"_**Very true." Nico stated. **_

**"She's pretty okay," I admitted. "What about you? You ever get in touch with your mom?"**

**As soon as I said it, I wished I hadn't. Thalia was great at giving evil looks, what with the punk clothes she always wears—the ripped-up army jacket, black leather pants and chain jewelry, the black eyeliner and those intense blue eyes. But the look she gave me now was a perfect evil "ten."**

'yea…That's me…A total badass." Thalia said smugly, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back proudly. Nico snorted and was promptly shocked with a little lightning bolt. He yelped and involuntarily hopped off the couch, landing on the hard marble floor. Thalia and Percy laughed as he got back up, groaning, and rubbing at his butt.

"That's gonna bruise. . . . And so will this." Nico muttered playfully. A shadow replced the couch underneath Thalia and she disappeared for a moment before the shadow reappeared about six feet above the floor. Thalia fell out of it and landed right on her ass. She growled and launched herself to her feet. She whipped out her mace can and thunder rumbled as it transformed into her spear. Nico snarled and his black skull ring flashed into a sword. Thalia subtly grazed her bracelet with her fingers and it spiraled into _Aegis._ Percy winced at the snarling face of Medusa on that shield. Nico didn't even hesitate to attack her. His sword hit the edge of her shield, creatig a spark and clang of metal. Athena and (surprisingly) Dionysus jumped up.

"Hey!" They both yelled, sending each other confused and slightly weirded-out looks. Dionysus sat back down pretty quickly. Athena shoo her head to clear it.

"Stop! NOW. Sit down so we can READ THE BOOK ALREADY!" She hollered. Poseidon winced as she glared. Nico and Thalia looked at each other and laughed, putting their weapons away and sitting back down on the couch.

**"If that was any of your business, Percy—"**

**"We'd better get inside," Annabeth interrupted. "Grover will be waiting."**

**Thalia looked at the castle and shivered. "You're right. I wonder what he found here that made him send the distress call."**

**I stared up at the dark towers of Westover Hall. "Nothing good," I guessed.**

**The oak doors groaned open, and the three of us stepped into the entry hall in a swirl of snow.**

**All I could say was, "Whoa."**

"You're an idiot sometimes…" Nico laughed. Percy just grinned. Travis and Connor, though only around 12, were starting to like these guys…Even if Nico was a little weird.

**The place was huge. The walls were lined with battle flags and weapon displays: antique rifles, battle axes, and a bunch of other stuff. I mean, I knew Westover was a military school and all, but the decorations seemed like overkill. Literally.**

Thalia and Nico simply shook their heads at Percy, who blushed. The Olympians were starting to like to like this trio as well. They were exactly like their fathers. While also being the complete opposite… they were the vision of what could happen if The Big Three were friendly with each other. It didn't look so bad.

**My hand went to my pocket, where I kept my lethal ballpoint pen, Riptide. **

"No comment." Nico muttered, much to the amusement of Hestia, who giggled behind her hand.

**I could already sense something wrong in this place. Something dangerous. Thalia was rubbing her silver bracelet, her favorite magic item. I knew we were thinking the same thing. A fight was coming.**

**Annabeth started to say, "I wonder where—"**

**The doors slammed shut behind us.**

"BOO!" Nico yelled, making nearly every one jump. Thalia socked his arm, but was laughing along with him.

**"Oo-kay," I mumbled. "Guess we'll stay awhile."**

"Oh reallllly?" Thalia asked sarcastically.

**I could hear music echoing from the other end of the hall. It sounded like dance music.**

"Skrillex..?" Nico mumbled hopefully. Thalia snorted.

"As amazing as that would have been, no, I don't think so Nicky." Thalia laughed. Nico blushed, "Don't call me Nicky." Percy laughed.

**We stashed our overnight bags behind a pillar and started down the hall. We hadn't gone very far when I heard footsteps on the stone floor, and a man and woman marched out of the shadows to intercept us.**

**They both had short gray hair and black military-style uniforms with red trim. The woman had a wispy mustache, and the guy was clean-shaven, which seemed kind of backward to me. They both walked stiffly, like they had broomsticks taped to their spines.**

"Or shoved up their arses…" Thalia whispered to Nico and percy, who laughed as quietly as they could.

**"Well?" the woman demanded. "What are you doing here?"**

**"Um…" I realized I hadn't planned for this. I'd been so focused on getting to Grover and finding out what was wrong, I hadn't considered that someone might question three kids sneaking into the school at night. We hadn't talked at all in the car about how we would get inside. **

"Great rescue mission so far." Nico mumbled, frowning. Percy sighed sadly.

**I said, "Ma'am, we're just—"**

**"Ha!" the man snapped, which made me jump. "Visitors are not allowed at the dance! You shall be **_**eee-jected**_**!"**

**He had an accent—French, maybe. **

**He pronounced his **_**J**_** like in **_**Jacques**_**, He was tall, with a hawkish face. His nostrils flared when he spoke, which made it really hard not to stare up his nose, and his eyes were two different colors—one brown, one blue—like an alley cat's.**

"You mean like this?" Nico asked, lifted his head up and opening his eyes wide. His black eyes shifted to the mismatched colors before returning to black. Percy nodded along with Thalia.

Zeus, extremely disturbed, turned to Hades. "Is that a 'child of Hades' thing or…"

"I…..honestly, have no idea…." He mumbled back, ignoring the odd looks he and Zeus were getting for their whispered conversation.

**I figured he was about to toss us into the snow, but then Thalia stepped forward and did something very weird. She snapped her fingers. The sound was sharp and loud. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I felt a gust of wind ripple out from her hand, across the room. It washed over all of us, making the banners rustle on the walls. "Oh, but we're not visitors, sir," Thalia said. "We go to school here. You remember: I'm Thalia. And this is Annabeth and Percy. We're in the eighth grade."**

**The male teacher narrowed his two-colored eyes. I didn't know what Thalia was thinking. Now we'd probably get punished for lying **_**and**_** thrown into the snow. But the man seemed to be hesitating.**

**He looked at his colleague. "Ms. Gottschalk, do you know these students?"**

**Despite the danger we were in, I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. A teacher named **_**Got Chalk**_**? He had to be kidding.**

Apollo and Hermes burst into laughter, soon joined by the Demi-Gods who were all-too-used to strange teacher mishaps.

**The woman blinked, like someone had just woken her up from a trance. "I… yes. I believe I do, sir." She frowned at us. "Annabeth. Thalia. Percy. What are you doing away from the gymnasium?"**

**Before we could answer, I heard more footsteps, and Grover ran up, breathless. "You made it! You—" He stopped short when he saw the teachers. "Oh, Mrs. Gottschalk. Dr. Thorn! I, uh—"**

**"What **_**is**_** it, Mr. Underwood?" said the man. His tone made it clear that he detested Grover. **

"HOW DARE HE? GROVER IS BEAST! That man, my dear friends, is a meanie-head. And you should never be like him." Nico lectured the younger Demi-Gods. Percy and Thalia were shaking with held-in laughter. Even Zeus found this young man pretty funny. Hades was a little wary, still, though.

**"What do you mean, they made it? These students live here."**

**Grover swallowed. "Yes, sir. Of course, Dr. Thorn. I just meant, I'm so glad they made… the punch for the dance! The punch is great. And they made it!"**

"Win." Nico sighed.

**Dr. Thorn glared at us. I decided one of his eyes had to be fake. The brown one? The blue one? He looked like he wanted to pitch us off the castle's highest tower, but then Mrs. Gottschalk said dreamily, "Yes, the punch is excellent. Now run along, all of you. You are not to leave the gymnasium again!"**

**We didn't wait to be told twice. We left with a lot of "Yes, ma'ams" and "Yes, sirs" and a couple of salutes, just because it seemed like the thing to do.**

"Pshhhh… You shoulda busted out' ya nine and busted a cap off in his a-"

"THINK OF THE CHILDREN, oddly gangster-Nico…" Thalia interrupted. Nico pouted and his lip-ring stuck out so Thlia flicked it gently. "Ouch." Nico growled playfully.

**Grover hustled us down the hall in the direction of the music.**

**I could feel the teachers' eyes on my back, but I walked closely to Thalia and asked in a low voice, "How did you do that finger-snap thing?"**

**"You mean the Mist? Hasn't Chiron shown you how to do that yet?" An uncomfortable lump formed in my throat. Chiron was our head trainer at camp, but he'd never shown me anything like that. Why had he shown Thalia and not me?**

'JEALOUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS?" Thalia taunted.

Percy just shrugged, "Well, duh…"

**Grover hurried us to a door that had GYM written on the glass. Even with my dyslexia, I could read that much.**

**"That was close!" Grover said. "Thank the gods you got here!"**

**Annabeth and Thalia both hugged Grover. I gave him a big high five.**

**It was good to see him after so many months. He'd gotten a little taller and had sprouted a few more whiskers, but otherwise he looked like he always did when he passed for human—a red cap on his curly brown hair to hide his goat horns, baggy jeans and sneakers with fake feet to hide his furry legs and hooves. He was wearing a black T-shirt that took me a few seconds to read. It said WESTOVER HALL: GRUNT. I wasn't sure whether that was, like, Grover's rank or maybe just the school motto.**

Nico burst into laughter, that quickly died under Athena's impatient glare.

**"So what's the emergency?" I asked.**

**Grover took a deep breath. "I found two."**

**"Two half-bloods?" **

**Thalia asked, amazed. "Here?"**

"Si." Nico answered, grinning deviously.

**Grover nodded.**

**Finding one half-blood was rare enough. This year, Chiron had put the satyrs on emergency overtime and sent them all over the country, scouring schools from fourth grade through high school for possible recruits. These were desperate times. We were losing campers. We needed all the new fighters we could find. The problem was, there just weren't that many demigods out there.**

**"A brother and a sister," he said. "They're ten and twelve. I don't know their parentage, but they're strong. We're running out of time, though. I need help."**

**"Monsters?"**

"Correcto." Nico answered again. "Okay who turned on the Spanish channel?" Thalia asked, thumping Nico on the back off the head. He giggled and laid himself out on the couch, putting his long legs on Percy and Thalia's laps. Surprisingly, they didn't complain.

**One." Grover looked nervous. "He suspects. I don't think he's positive yet, but this is the last day of term. I'm sure he won't let them leave campus without finding out. It may be our last chance! Every time I try to get close to them, he's always there, blocking me. I don't know what to do!"**

**Grover looked at Thalia desperately. I tried not to feel upset by that. Used to be, Grover looked to me for answers, **

"JEALOU-"

"WE KNOW."

"Sheesh…"

**but Thalia had seniority. Not just because her dad was Zeus. Thalia had more experience than any of us with fending off monsters in the real world.**

**"Right," she said. "These half-bloods are at the dance?"**

**Grover nodded.**

**"Then let's dance," Thalia said. "Who's the monster?"**

**"Oh," Grover said, and looked around nervously. "You just met him. The vice principal, Dr. Thorn."**

"Nice, Grover." Thalia muttered. Annabeth was still staring at her in wonder…

**Weird thing about military schools: the kids go absolutely nuts when there's a special event and they get to be out of uniform. I guess it's because everything's so strict the rest of the time, they feel like they've got to overcompensate or something.**

Nico shuddered.

**There were black and red balloons all over the gym floor, and guys were kicking them in each others faces, or trying to strangle each other with the crepe-paper streamers taped to the walls. Girls moved around in football huddles, the way they always do, wearing lots of makeup and spaghetti-strap tops and brightly colored pants and shoes that looked like torture devices. **

This time Percy shuddered with him.

**Every once in a while they'd surround some poor guy like a pack of piranhas, shrieking and giggling, and when they finally moved on, the guy would have ribbons in his hair and a bunch of lipstick graffiti all over his face. **

This time every male in the room shuddered. Thalia and Annabeth cracked up, sharing a smile.

**Some of the older guys looked more like me—uncomfortable, hanging out at the edges of the gym and trying to hide, like any minute they might have to fight for their lives. Of course, in my case, it was true…**

"Gods, you're such a downer." Nico muttered, earning a smack on the shin from Percy.

**"There they are." Grover nodded toward a couple of younger kids arguing in the bleachers. "Bianca and Nico di Angela."**

Nico jumped back up, and struck a pose. Hades frowned, though. "Where's Bianca?"

Nico's smile fell to a faint grin. "Uh, Dad, this is gonna be hard to hear but…Bianca died. It was her choice and she knew what she was doing. I'm sorry." Nico frowned and looked down at the floor, ringing his hands. Hades stood from his throne and hurried to his son, wrapping him in his arms. Nico looked shocked for a second before hugging him back, hard. Hades let him go after a moment and kissed his forehead. "Nico…I-I know that its hard for Children of Hades. Harder than it is for any other Demi-Gods, which is saying something, and most of my kids don't make it past 16. I am proud of you, son." hades said, looking into Nico's eyes.

Nico looked down and chuckled nervously. "Ha, Well, I'm…proud of you too, Dad." They shared a small smile and Hades returned to his throne. Hera wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and sniffled loudly. Nico and Hades both rolled their eyes. But everyone had a smile on their face.

**The girl wore a floppy green cap, like she was trying to hide her face. The boy was obviously her little brother. They both had dark silky hair and olive skin, and they used their hands a lot as they talked. The boy was shuffling some kind of trading cards. **

"Don't say anything." Nico muttered seriously to Thalia and Percy as they tried their best not to laugh. The others were just confused.

**His sister seemed to be scolding him about something. **

**She kept looking around like she sensed something was wrong.**

Nico sighed. Percy frowned.

**Annabeth said, "Do they… I mean, have you told them?"**

**Grover shook his head. "You know how it is. That could put them in more danger. Once they realize who they are, their scent becomes stronger."**

**He looked at me, and I nodded. I'd never really understood what half-bloods "smell" like to monsters and satyrs, but I knew that your scent could get you killed. And the more powerful a demigod you became, the more you smelled like a monster's lunch. "So let's grab them and get out of here," I said.**

**I started forward, but Thalia put her hand on my shoulder. The vice principal, Dr. Thorn, had slipped out of a doorway near the bleachers and was standing near the di Angelo siblings. He nodded coldly in our direction. His blue eye seemed to glow.**

Hades growled, and it wasn't like when Thalia and Nico growled. Hades literally _growled _like a caged animal. Even Zeus shivered.

**Judging from his expression, I guessed Thorn hadn't been fooled by Thalia's trick with the Mist after all. He suspected who we were. He was just waiting to see why we were here.**

**"Don't look at the kids," Thalia ordered. "We have to wait for a chance to get them. We need to pretend we're not interested in them. Throw him off the scent."**

"That….might work…" Athena mumbled, brows furrowing.

**"How?"**

**"We're three powerful half-bloods. Our presence should confuse him. Mingle. Act natural. Do some dancing. But keep an eye on those kids."**

**"Dancing?" Annabeth asked.**

**Thalia nodded. She cocked her ear to the music and made a face. "Ugh. Who chose the Jesse McCartney?"**

**Grover looked hurt. "I did."**

**"Oh my gods, Grover. That is so lame. Can't you play, like, Green Day or something?"**

**"Green who?"**

"Sigh." Nico and Thalia said together. Then Nico shrugged, "I'm really more of an Asking Alexandria or Suicide Silence man myself." He muttered. Percy blanched, "Um, who?" Thalia and Nico glanced at each other before hopping up and whipping out there electronics. Nico plugged his ipod into Thalia's little speakers. HE fiddled on it a bit before straightening and announcing, "Asking Alexandria."

'Morte et Dabo' started playing.

By the end, everyone but Hades, Dionysus, Thalia, and Nico were heavily disturbed. Nico smiled brightly and fiddled on his iPod some more.

"And this is Suicide Silence."

'Slaves To Substance' started playing.

Nico and Thalia were nearly crying at the end, remembering the video.

And again everyone was disturbed but them and Hades and Dionysus.

Athena's eye twitched. "And back to the story."

Nico and Thalia snorted but sat back down anyways.

**"Never mind. Let's dance."**

**"But I can't dance!"**

**"You can if I'm leading," Thalia said. "Come on, goat boy."**

**Grover yelped as Thalia grabbed his hand and led him onto the dance floor.**

**Annabeth smiled.**

**"What?" I asked.**

**"Nothing. It's just cool to have Thalia back."**

**Annabeth had grown taller than me since last summer, which I found kind of disturbing. **

Nico laughed and Thalia quickly shut him up with a punch.

**She used to wear no jewelry except for her Camp Half-Blood bead necklace, but now she wore little silver earrings shaped like owls—the symbol of her mother, Athena. She pulled off her ski cap, and her long blond hair tumbled down her shoulders. It made her look older, for some reason.**

**"So…" I tried to think of something to say. **_**Act natural**_**, Thalia had told us. When you're a half-blood on a dangerous mission, what the heck is natural? "Um, design any good buildings lately?"**

"Smooth." Thalia commented.

**Annabeth's eyes lit up, the way they always did when she talked about architecture. "Oh my gods, Percy. At my new school, I get to take 3-D design as an elective, and there's this cool computer program…"**

**She went on to explain how she'd designed this huge monument that she wanted to build at Ground Zero in Manhattan. She talked about structural supports and facades and stuff, and I tried to listen. I knew she wanted to be a super architect when she grew up—she loves math and historical buildings and all that—but I hardly understood a word she was saying.**

"Wow." Nico muttered. Percy sighed and smacked his shoulder. "Shut it."

**The truth was I was kind of disappointed to hear that she liked her new school so much. It was the first time she'd gone to school in New York. I'd been hoping to see her more often. It was a boarding school in Brooklyn, and she and Thalia were both attending, close enough to Camp Half-Blood that Chiron could help if they got in any trouble. Because it was an all-girls school, and I was going to MS-54 in Manhattan, I hardly ever saw them.**

"Mmm. All girls schools are awesome." Thalia muttered, smirking. Nico snorted, and drew a dorito from the chip bag he had somehow gotten a hold of.

"Yea, well that's probably because you're super-gay. I mean, if I was going to an all-boys' school-" Nico stated.

"Um, you are." Percy cut in. Nico smiled deviously.

"Oh, yea. Ha, and might I just say, its been….pretty…_thrilling _so far.." Nico waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Percy blushed and turned away from the conversation, trying to ignore the many looks of shock that were coming their way.

Thalia paled though. "Nico Di Angelo! I told you to stay away from that teacher! He is such a creeper!" Hades almost choked on his own spit. He coughed violently and Zeus patted his back, just as shocked when Thalia had nonchalantly announced her orientations.

Nico frowned, "Ew. Yeah, I stopped talking to him. I meant like…locker room action and stuff." He crunched a chip in the dead silence. "Soo…on with the story?" He asked innocently, not noticing the slight jealous glare that Dionysus was sending his way.

"**Yeah, uh, cool," I said. "So you're staying there the rest of the year, huh?"**

**Her face got dark. "Well, maybe, if I don't—"**

**"Hey!" Thalia called to us. **

**She was slow dancing with Grover, who was tripping all over himself, kicking Thalia in the shins, and looking like he wanted to die**

"Lmao." Thalia said, smiling.

**At least his feet were fake. Unlike me, he had an excuse for being clumsy.**

**"Dance, you guys!" Thalia ordered. "You look stupid just standing there."**

**I looked nervously at Annabeth, then at the groups of girls who were roaming the gym. **

**"Well?" Annabeth said.**

**"Um, who should I ask?**

**"**

**She punched me in the gut. "**_**Me**_**, Seaweed Brain."**

**"Oh. Oh, right."**

"Woooow."

**So we went onto the dance floor, and I looked over to see how Thalia and Grover were doing things. I put one hand on Annabeth's hip, and she clasped my other hand like she was about to judo throw me.**

Several people snorted. Annabeth just blushed. Athena seemed proud,

**"I'm not going to bite," she told me. "Honestly, Percy. Don't you guys have dances at your school?"**

**I didn't answer. The truth was we did. But I'd never, like, actually **_**danced**_** at one. I was usually one of the guys playing basketball in the corner.**

**We shuffled around for a few minutes. I tried to concentrate on little things, like the crepe-paper streamers and the punch bowl—anything but the fact that Annabeth was taller than me, and my hands were sweaty and probably gross, and I kept stepping on her toes.**

**"What were you saying earlier?" I asked. "Are you having trouble at school or something?"**

**She pursed her lips. "It's not that. It's my dad."**

**"Uh-oh." I knew Annabeth had a rocky relationship with her father. "I thought it was getting better with you two. Is it your step mom again?"**

**Annabeth sighed. "He decided to move. Just when I was getting settled in New York, he took this stupid new job researching for a World War I book. In **_**San Francisco**_**!'**

**She said this the same way she might say **_**Fields of Punishment**_** or **_**Hades's gym shorts**_**.**

"Hey!" Hades said indignantly. Zeus and Poseidon were laughing.

**"So he wants you to move out there with him?" I asked. **

**"To the other side of the country," she said miserably. "And half-bloods can't live in San Francisco. He should know that."**

**"What? Why not?"**

**Annabeth rolled her eyes. Maybe she thought I was kidding. "You know. It's right **_**there**_**!'**

**"Oh," I said. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I didn't want to sound stupid. **

"Well, that didn't work soo…" Thalia teased, fist-bumping Nico.

**"So… you'll go back to living at camp or what?"**

**"It's more serious than that, Percy. I… I probably should tell you something."**

**Suddenly she froze. "They're gone."**

The tense silence was broken by the sound of Thalia and Nico ripping open a bag of Red Vines.

**"What?"**

**I followed her gaze. The bleachers. The two half-blood kids, Bianca and Nico, were no longer there. The door next to the bleachers was wide open. Dr. Thorn was nowhere in sight.**

**"We have to get Thalia and Grover!" Annabeth looked around frantically. "Oh, where'd they dance off to? Come on!"**

**She ran through the crowd. I was about to follow when a mob of girls got in my way. I maneuvered around them to avoid getting the ribbon-and-lipstick treatment, and by the time I was free, Annabeth had disappeared. I turned a full circle, looking for her or Thalia and Grover. Instead, I saw something that chilled my blood.**

"DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNN!" Nico, Thalia, Connor, Travis, Apollo, and Hermes all said at the exact same time. They shared an incredulous look before bursting into laughter.

**About fifty feet away, lying on the gym floor, was a floppy green cap just like the one Bianca di Angelo had been wearing. Near it were a few scattered trading cards. Then I caught a glimpse of Dr. Thorn. He was hurrying out a door at the opposite end of the gym, steering the di Angelo kids by the scruffs of their necks, like kittens.**

Percy and Thalia shot Nico a knowing look. He sighed and stood up. "Im part cat. It's Circe's fault. Don't ask questions." He growled, rubbing at his head and fixing his pants. His black cat ears stuck up adorably and his fluffy black tail curled out behind him. He said back down with a huff, trying to ignore the shocked looks he was getting. Percy and Thalia were trying not to laugh.

**I still couldn't see Annabeth, but I knew she'd be heading the other way, looking for Thalia and Grover.**

**I almost ran after her, and then I thought, **_**Wait**_**.**

"That's a first." Nico snorted.

**I remembered what Thalia had said to me in the entry hall, looking at me all puzzled when I asked about the finger-snap trick: **_**Hasn't Chiron shown you how to do that yet**_**? I thought about the way Grover had turned to her, expecting her to save the day.**

**Not that I resented Thalia. She was cool. It wasn't her fault her dad was Zeus and she got all the attention… **

"Yea, kid, its Zeus fault." Hephaestus grumbled, putting out a small fire in his beard.

**Still, I didn't need to run after her to solve every problem. Besides, there wasn't time. The di Angelos were in danger. They might be long gone by the time I found my friends. I knew monsters. I could handle this myself.**

**I took Riptide out of my pocket and ran after Dr. Thorn.**

**The door led into a dark hallway. I heard sounds of scuffling up ahead, then a painful grunt. I uncapped Riptide.**

**The pen grew in my hands until I held a bronze Greek sword about three feet long with a leather-bound grip. The blade glowed faintly, casting a golden light on the rows of lockers.**

"Anaklusmos.." Poseidon muttered fondly. Percy nodded, "Yup."

**I jogged down the corridor, but when I got to the other end, no one was there. I opened a door and found myself back in the main entry hall. I was completely turned around. I didn't see Dr. Thorn anywhere, but there on the opposite side of the room were the di Angelo kids. They stood frozen in horror, staring right at me.**

**I advanced slowly, lowering the tip of my sword. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."**

Nico sighed and face-palmed.

**They didn't answer. Their eyes were full of fear. What was wrong with them? Where was Dr. Thorn? Maybe he'd sensed the presence of Riptide and retreated. Monsters hated celestial bronze weapons.**

**"My name's Percy," I said, trying to keep my voice level. "I'm going to take you out of here, get you somewhere safe."**

**Bianca's eyes widened. Her fists clenched. Only too late did I realize what her look meant. She wasn't afraid of me. She was trying to warn me.**

**I whirled around and something went **_**WHI1ISH**_**! Pain exploded in my shoulder. A force like a huge hand yanked me backward and slammed me to the wall.**

**I slashed with my sword but there was nothing to hit.**

**A cold laugh echoed through the hall.**

**"Yes, Perseus **_**Jackson"**_** Dr. Thorn said. His accent mangled the **_**J**_** in my last name. "I know who you are."**

**I tried to free my shoulder. My coat and shirt were pinned to the wall by some kind of spike—a black dagger-like projectile about a foot long. It had grazed the skin of my shoulder as it passed through my clothes, and the cut burned. I'd felt something like this before. Poison.**

"What?" Poseidon squeaked. Zeus chuckled but hated to admit that he was worried too.

**I forced myself to concentrate. I would **_**not**_** pass out.**

**A dark silhouette now moved toward us. Dr. Thorn stepped into the dim light. He still looked human, but his face was ghoulish. He had perfect white teeth and his brown/blue eyes reflected the light of my sword.**

**"Thank you for coming out of the gym," he said. "I hate middle school dances."**

**I tried to swing my sword again, but he was just out of reach.**

_**WHIIIISH! A**_** second projectile shot from somewhere behind Dr. Thorn. He didn't appear to move. It was as if someone invisible were standing behind him, throwing knives.**

The Big Three paled.

**Next to me, Bianca yelped. The second thorn impaled itself in the stone wall, half an inch from her face.**

Hades and Nico _snarled._

**"All three of you will come with me," Dr. Thorn said. "Quietly. Obediently. If you make a single noise, if you call out for help or try to fight, I will show you just how accurately I can throw."**

Nico grumbled something about "weird creeper monsters" under his breath.

"That's the end of chapter 1." Athena muttered.

**WOOH! I actually updated! Yayy! So…I want to know what you think! Please review. Im not gonna beg….. But I might.. :P**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yayyz for updatessssss :P Annabeth will probably not be coming in from the future. At thebeginning I warned you that this would be full of slash. And it will be. So, Percy will probably be gay but still in the closet and Annabeth will know and be his cover for a while and all that adorable friendship junk… **

**And I will be bringing in a god from the future in this chapter so ya'd best be payin attention :DDDDDDDDDDDDD**

"**Should we keep reading?" Nico asked, before receiving a smack on the shoulder from Thalia.**

"Yes, dumbass. We need to get this shit done as soon as possible." She scolded. Athena nodded.

'We will eat after this chapter. And the younger demi-gods will need to go back to the Camp after this, too." That was met with several moans and groans and complaints. But Dionysus jumped up happily.

"Come on, kiddies! We'll just get outta everybody's hair right now!" He called from beside the door. All the kids groaned and stood and started walking towards him. Then a tiny little girl that looked around nine or ten pulled on his sleeve. He looked down and crouched so he could hear her.

"But, Mishter D, I wanna hear the story…And im tired…" The little girl mumbled, sleepily rubbing at her eyes. Dionysus sighed but swooped the little girl up into his arms. She giggled happily and rested her head on his shoulder. He sighed, "Well, then ill just have to tell you a story when we get back to camp. . . Have you ever heard of a little princess called Ariadne?. . . " Dionysus absentmindedly waved goodbye as he walked behind Chiron, telling the little girl his story as if she were his own daughter. Everyone just stared.

"Well, that was weird…" Hades mumbled. Zeus nodded, "Okay, so. On with the story."

Athena nodded and flipped open the book.

**I didn't know what kind of monster Dr. Thorn was, but he was fast.**

Nico snorted.

**Maybe I could defend myself if I could get my shield activated. All that it would take was a touch of my wristwatch. But defending the di Angelo kids was another matter. I need help, and there was only one way I could think to get it.**

**I closed my eyes.**

Artemis got a funnily confused look on her face. "How will that get you anything?…"

Percy sighed. "Just give it a minute."

"**What are you doing, Jackson?" hissed Dr. Thorn. "Keep moving!"**

**I opened my eyes and kept shuffling forward. "It's my shoulder," I lied, trying to sound miserable, which wasn't hard. "It burns."**

Poseidon started laughing. "See, Athena! He's clever." Athena nodded along sarcastically.

"**Bah! My poison causes pain. It will not kill you. Walk!"**

**Thorn herded us outside, and I tried to concentrate. I pictured Grover's face. I focused on my feelings of fear and danger.**

"An empathy link?" Ares asked, surprisingly. Percy nodded. Nico snorted, "That's like, super-gay, bro. I fucking hate Amber." Thalia growled. Percy sighed, "Chill."

**Last summer, Grover had created an empathy link between us.**

**He'd sent me visions in my dreams to let me know when he was in trouble. As far as I knew, we were still linked, but I'd never tried to contact Grover before. I didn't even know if it would work while Grover was awake.**

_**Hey, Grover! **_**I thought. **_**Thorn's kidnapping us! He's a poisonous spike-throwing maniac! Help!**_

"You know, this makes me wonder if he got any of this?" Nico asked, munching on a fortune cookie. Thalia glanced over at him. "Where the hell are you getting the food from?" She yelled. He laughed, and pulled a fortune cookie out of his pocket for her.

"That, my friend, is a secret very well kept. So I tell ya later."

**Thorn marched us into the woods. We took a snowy path dimly lit by old-fashionedlamplights. My shoulder ached. The wind blowing through my ripped clothes was so cold I felt like a Percysicle.**

"**There is a clearing ahead," Thorn said. "We will summon your ride."**

"**What ride?" Bianca demanded. "Where are you taking us?"**

"**Silence, you insufferable girl!"**

"**Don't talk to my sister that way!" Nico said. His voice quivered, but I was surprised he had the guts to say anything at all.**

Nico jumped up, animatedly. "HELL YEA, BITCHES!" Thalia just sighed and pulled him down by his chains.

**Dr. Thorn made a growling sound that definitely wasn't human. It made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, but I forced myself to keep walking and pretend I was being a good little captive. Meanwhile, I projected my thoughts like crazy—anything to get Grover's attention. **_**Grover! Apples! Tin cans! Get your furry goat behind out here and bring some heavily armed friends!**_

Hestia let out a small giggle.

"**Halt," Thorn said.**

**The woods had opened up. We'd reached a cliff overlooking the sea. At least, I **_**sensed **_**the sea was down there, hundreds of feet below. I could hear the waves churning and I could smell the cold salty froth. But all I could see was mist and darkness.**

**Dr. Thorn pushed us towards the edge. I stumbled, and Bianca caught me.**

"**Thanks," I murmured.**

"**What **_**is**_** he?" She whispered. "How do we fight him?"**

"She's wise. Not panicking." Athena mumbled, looking towards Artemis, who was staring at Nico intensely.

"**I…I'm working on it."**

"**I'm scared," Nico mumbled.**

Nico coughed awkwardly.

**He was fiddling with something—a little metal toy soldier of some kind.**

"Don't say anything." Nico mumbled, sighing. Thalia and Percy laughed under their breath.

"**Stop talking!" Dr. Thorn said. "Face me!"**

**We turned.**

**Thorn's two-tone eyes glittered hungrily. He pulled something from under his coat. At first I thought it was a switchblade, but it was only a phone. He pressed the side button and said, "The package—it is ready to deliver."**

**There was a garbled reply, and I realized Thorn was in walkie-talkie mode. This seemed way too modern and creepy—a monster using a mobile phone.**

**I glanced behind me, wondering how far the drop was.**

**Dr. Thorn laughed. "By all means, Son of Poseidon. **_**Jump! **_**There is the sea. Save yourself."**

"**What did he call you?" Bianca muttered.**

"**I'll explain later," I said.**

"**You do have a plan, right?"**

Nico and Thalia burst into laughter. Percy whistled innocently as water washed out of nowhere all over both of them. Thalia screeched and knocked Percy off the couch, then dried herself and Nico off with a huge gust of wind. Percy hopped back on the couch and they went on as if nothing had happened. The Big Three just glanced at each other with no words.

_**Grover! **_**I thought desperately. **_**Come to me!**_

"Ohhh, that sounded wrong." Nico stated, Thalia nodding along. Percy blushed bright red and sputtered awkwardly. "S-Shutup!"

**Maybe I could get both the di Angelos to jump with me into the ocean. If we survived the fall, I could use the water to protect us. I'd done things like that before. If my dad was in a good mood, and listening, he might help. Maybe.**

"**I would kill you before you ever reached the water," Dr. Thorn said, as if reading my thoughts. "You do not realize who I am, do you?"**

**A flicker of movement behind him, and another missile whistled so close to me it nicked my ear. Something had sprung up behind Dr. Thorn—like a catapult, but more flexible…almost like a tail.**

"**Unfortunately," Thorns said. "You are wanted alive, if possible. Otherwise you would already be dead."**

"**Who wants us?" Bianca demanded. "because if you think you'll get a ransom, you're wrong. We don't have any family. Nico and I…" Her voice broke a little. "We've got no one but each other."**

Nico looked down sadly. Hades sighed and rubbed at his forehead. Zeus patted his shoulder, in an attempt to be brotherly.

"**Aww," Dr. Thorn said. "Do not worry, little brats. You will be meeting my employer soon enough. Then you will have a brand-new family."**

"**Luke," I said. "You work for Luke."**

"So, it does happen?" Hermes asked, emotionlessly. Percy nodded and looked down at the floor too. Hermes simply nodded. The others except for Nico, Apollo, and Thalia were extremely confused. Apollo knew because Hermes had broken down and confided in him a while ago.

**Dr. Thorn mouth twisted with distaste when I said the name of my old enemy—a former friend who'd tried to kill me several times. "You have no idea what is happening, Perseus Jackson. I will let the General enlighten you.**

"**You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you."**

"Wait a second…" Nico mmbled, "It kinda sounds like he was gonna…Well, you know…"

Percy blushed heavily again and sighed. "Shutup, Nico."

"**The General?" I asked. Then I realized I'd said it with a French accent. "I mean…who's the General?"**

**Thorn looked toward the horizon. "Ah, here we are. Your transportation."**

**I turned and saw a light in the distance, a searchlight over the sea. Then I heard the chopping of helicopter blades getting louder and closer.**

"**Where are you taking us?" Nico said.**

"**You should be honored, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls."**

"**They're not dolls! They're figurines!**

Thalia and Percy laughed extremely hard. Nico blushed a bit but quickly jumped up onto the couch.

"Well, its true! Figurines are an entirely different thing than dolls! it's a proven, scientific fact!" He flopped down on the couch again and pulled something out of his pocket. It was little statue of someone and he stroked it lovingly. Thalia and Percy stopped laughing but still chuckled and shook their heads at him.

"**And you can take your great army and-"**

"SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS!" All three Demi-Gods screamed, laughing hysterically. The Olympians just shook their heads. Hermes and Apollo, though, were laughing just as hard.

"**Now now," Dr. Thorn warned. "You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And if you do not, well…there are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway."**

"**The Great what?" I asked. Anything to keep him talking while I tried to figure out a plan.**

"**The Stirring of monsters." Dr. Thorn smiled evilly. "The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years.**

"Well, that sucks." Hephaestus mumbled. Poseidon snorted. "Yeah, just a little though."He agreed sarcastically.

"**They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known.**

"Oh, dear." Hera mumbled.

"**And soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!**

"Wow, intense." Ares whispered.

"**Okay," Bianca whispered to me. "He's completely nuts."**

"**We have to jump off the cliff," I told her quietly. "Into the sea."**

"**Oh, super idea. You're completely nuts too."**

"I like her." Artemis laughed.

**I never got the chance to argue with her, because just then an invisible force slammed into me.**

**Looking back on it, Annabeth's move was brilliant. Wearing her cap of invisibility, she plowed into the di Angelos and me, knocking us to the ground. For a split second, Dr. Thorn was taken by surprise, so his first volley of missiles zipped harmlessly over our heads. This gave Thalia and Grover a chance to advance from behind—Thalia wielding her magic shield, Aegis.**

**If you've never seen Thalia run into battle, you have never been truly frightened.**

Zeus grinned proudly. Thalia smiled brightly like she owned the world. Nico snorted. And promptly got his arm smacked.

**She uses a huge spear that expands from this collapsible Mace canister she carries in her pocket, but that's not the scary part. He shield is modeled after one her dad Zeus uses—also called Aegis—a gift from Athena. The shield has the head of the gorgon Medusa molded into the bronze, and even though it won't turn you to stone, it's so horrible, most people will panic and run at the sight of it.**

**Even Dr. Thorn winced and growled when he saw it.**

**Thalia moved in with her spear. "For Zeus!"**

**I though Dr. Thorn was a goner. Thalia jabbed at his head, but he snarled and swatted the spear aside. His hand changed into an orange paw, with enormous claws that sparked against Thalia's shield as he slashed. If it hadn't been for Aegis, Thalia would've been sliced like a loaf of bread.**

All three Demi-Gods shuddered and Nico quickly put his arm around her shoulders.

**As it was, she managed to roll backward and land on her feet.**

**The sound of the helicopter was getting louder behind me, but I didn't dare look.**

**Dr. Thorn launched another volley of missiles at Thalia, and this time I could see how he did it. He had a tail—a leathery, scorpionlike tail that bristled with spikes at the tip. The missiles deflected off Aegis, but the force of their impact knocked Thalia down.**

**Grover sprang forward. He put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play—a frantic jig that sounded like something pirates would dance to. Grass broke through the snow.**

**Within seconds, rope-thick weeds were wrapping** **around Dr. Thorn's legs, entangling him.**

**Dr. Thorn roared and began to change.**

Nico sighed along with Thalia. Percy groaned, and rubbed his head.

**He grew larger until he was in his true form—his face still human, but his body that of a huge lion. His leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly thorns in all directions.**

"**A manticore!" Annabeth said, now visible. Her magical New York Yankees cap had come off when she'd plowed into us.**

"**Who **_**are **_**you people?" Bianca di Angelo demanded. "And what is **_**that?"**_

"**A manticore?" Nico gasped. "He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!"**

"I hate my life." Nico mumbled, putting his head in his hands as everyone looked at him strangely. Thalia and Percy were laughing their asses off.

**I didn't know what he was talking about, but I didn't have time to worry about it. The manticore clawed Grover's magic weeds to shreds then turned towards us with a snarl.**

"**Get down!" Annabeth pushed the di Angelos flat into the snow. At the last second, I remembered my own shield. I hit my wristwatch, and metal plating spiraled out into a thick bronze shield. Not a moment too soon. The thorns impacted against it with such force they dented the metal. The beautiful shield, a gift from my brother, was badly damaged. I wasn't sure it would even stop a second volley.**

**I heard a **_**thwack**_** and a yelp, and Grover landed next to me with a thud.**

"**Yield!" the monster roared.**

"**Never!" Thalia yelled from across the field. She charged the monster, and for a second, I thought she would run him through. But then there was a thunderous noise and a blaze of light from behind us. The helicopter appeared out of the mist, hovering just beyond the cliffs. It was a sleek black military-style gunship, with attachments on the side that looked like laser-guided rockets. The helicopter had to be manned by mortals, but what was it doing here? How could mortals be working with a monster?**

"That is. . Not good…"Athena mumbled. Poseidon snorted. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the goddess of wisdom." He laughed.

**The searchlights blinded Thalia, and the manticore swatted her away with its tail. Her shield flew off into the snow. Her spear flew in the other direction.**

"**No!" I ran out to help her. I parried away a spike just before it would've hit her chest. I raised my shield over us, but I knew it wouldn't be enough.**

**Dr. Thorn laughed. "Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes."**

**We were trapped between a monster and a fully armed helicopter. We had no chance.**

**Then I heard a clear, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods.**

Apollo snorted as Artemis whooped happily.

**The manticore froze. For a moment, no one moved. There was only the swirl of snow and wind, and the chopping of the helicopter blades.**

"**No," Dr. Thorn said. "It cannot be-"**

**His sentence was cut short when something shot past me like a streak of moonlight. A glowing silver arrow sprouted from Dr. Thorn's shoulder.**

Artemis smiled deviously. Thalia gave fist pump.

**He staggered backward, wailing in agony. "Curse you!" Thorn cried. He unleashed his spines, dozens of them at once, into the woods where the arrow had come from, but just as fast, silvery arrows shot back in reply. It almost looked like the arrows had intercepted the thorns in midair and cut them in two, but my eyes must have been playing tricks on me. No one, not even Apollo's kids at camp, could shoot with that much accuracy.**

Apollo half-heartedly glared at Percy. "If you weren't so damn hot, I'd blast you kid." He stated. Percy spluttered and blushed. Thalia and Nico laughed. Artemis gave her brother a weird look. And Poseidon glared at Apollo heavily.

**The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was heavy. I tried to swipe at him with my sword, but he wasn't as injured as he looked. He dodged my attack and slammed his tail into my shield, knocking me aside.**

**Then the archers came from the woods. They were girls, about a dozen of them. The youngest was maybe ten.**

**The oldest, about fourteen, like me. They wore silvery ski parkas and jeans, and they were all armed with bows. They advanced on the manticore with determined expressions.**

"**The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.**

**Next to me, Thalia muttered, "Oh, wonderful."**

Artemis glanced at Thalia, confused. Thalia just blushed and smiled sheepishly.

"I wasn't too fond of you folks at first. Hehe…"

**I didn't have a chance to ask what she meant.**

**One of the older archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful, with coppery colored skin. Unlike the other girls, she had a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair, so she looked like some kind of Persian princess.**

"Wow, Percy, just wow." Thalia mumbled.

"**Permission to kill, my lady?"**

**I couldn't tell who she was talking to, because she kept her eyes on the manticore.**

**The monster wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws."**

"**Not so," another girl said. This one was a little younger than me, maybe twelve or thirteen.**

'Not quite. . " Artemis smiled, knowingly.

**She had auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail, and strange eyes, silvery yellow like the moon.**

**Her face was so beautiful it made me catch my breath,**

Artemis gave Percy a look of warning. Percy blushed.

**But her expression was stern and dangerous. "The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast." She looked at the older girl with the circlet. "Zoë, permission granted."**

**The monster growled. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!"**

**He lunged at Thalia and me, knowing we were weak and dazed. "No!" Annabeth yelled, and she charged at the monster.**

"**Get back, half-blood!" the girl with the circlet said. "Get out of the line of fire!"**

**But Annabeth leaped onto the monster's back and drove her knife into his mane.**

"Oh, no…" Athena whispered.

**The manticore howled, turning in circles with his tail flailing as Annabeth held on for dear life.**

"**Fire!" Zoë ordered.**

"**No!" I screamed.**

**But the Hunters let their arrows fly. The first caught the manticore in the neck. Another hit his chest. The manticore staggered back, wailing, "This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!"**

**And before anyone could react, the monster, with Annabeth still on his back, leaped over the cliff and tumbled into the darkness.**

"**Annabeth!" I yelled. I started to run after her, but our enemies weren't done with us.**

"AHH!" Athena screamed. Poseidon and Percy both jumped up. Poseidon was at Athena's sighed in a second, holding her to his chest as she cried.

"NO! Athena, don't worry, she ends up fine later. I promise you." He yelled. Athena pushed away from Poseidon for a moment and sniffled. "I believe you, Perseus…I just…It was sudden is all." She mumbled, wiping at her face. Poseidon sighed and grabbed her chin, turned her face towards him. He wiped her tears away and gave her a small smile. The other Olympians stared on very confused. And shocked. Zeus's eye twitched as Poseidon returned to his throne.

**There was a **_**snap-snap-snap **_**from the helicopter—the sound of gunfire.**

**Most of the Hunters scattered as tiny holes appeared in the snow at their feet, but the girl with the auburn hair just looked up calmly at the helicopter.**

"**Mortals," she announced, "Are not allowed to witness my hunt."**

**She thrust out her hand, and the helicopter exploded into dust—no, not dust. The black metal dissolved into a flock of birds—ravens, which scattered into the night.**

**The Hunters advanced on us.**

**The one called Zoë stopped short when she saw Thalia. "You," she said with distaste.**

"**Zoë Nightshade," Thalia's voice trembled with anger. "Perfect timing, as usual."**

**Zoë scanned the rest of us. "Four half-bloods and a satyr, my lady."**

"**Yes," the younger girl said. "Some of Chiron's campers, I see."**

"**Annabeth!" I yelled. "You have to let us save her!"**

"Umm, I don't think anyone was ready to let you jump off a cliff, Percy." Nico mumbled. Percy shrugged, "Not like I haven't done it before. Suicide attempts not being counted."

Poseidon paled but didn't think he would be able to handle the answers to the questions he'd just thought up.

**The auburn-haired girl turned toward me. "I'm sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond help."**

**I tried to struggle to my feet, but a couple of the girls held me down.**

"**You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs," the auburn-haired girl said.**

"Wellll….?" Percy pondered, sarcastically.

"**Let me go!" I demanded. "Who do you think you are?"**

"Oh, wow." Thalia laughed.

**Zoë stepped forward as if to smack me.**

"Remember kids, keep your pimp hands strong!" Thalia and Nico lectured, laughing their asses off along with Percy.

"**No," the other girl ordered. "I sense no disrespect, Zoë. He is simply distraught. He does not understand."**

"Well, he doesn't understand a lot of things sooo…?" Nico stated, getting a smack on the thigh from Percy.

**The young girl looked up at me, her eyes colder and brighter than the winter moon. "I am Artemis," she said. "Goddess of the Hunt."**

"DUN DUN DUUUUN." Nico shouted.

**Yayyy. Now review. Please. :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD**


	5. Chapter 5

**OH MY GLOB. I am sooooo sorry. When I write im writing as I go and junk so I totally forgot to add in a future god. So, to compensate for my mistake it WILL be happening in the next update. And ill let you know who it is: DIONYSUS. There will be a small budding romance between our beloved Mr. D and Nico… Mr. D's physical appearance will be a bit more attractive than how he is described in the books. I'll have links to actors and outfits on my profile soon. :D**

**Love, Kamryn ****J**


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